March 2008 Issue

Student Achievers

Students Spend January Exploring Careers

All too quickly for most, today’s Austin College students will begin careers and taking their place in the “real world.” More than 120 students spent JanTerm exploring the world of work through Career Study Off-Campus (CSOC) experiences — in the Sherman community, across the U.S., and around the world. Many students spent the month working alongside healthcare professionals, lawyers, and teachers. Others explored the worlds of politics, business, religion, social service agencies, and finance. A few samples follow.

Back to the Top

On the Road to Service

Julie Jones ’09 of Bergheim, Texas; Cara Barnes ’09 of Bryan, Texas; and Holly Boerner ’09 of Boerne, Texas, travelled to Ethiopia, Africa, where they worked through Blessing the Children International at the Kamasha Orphanage, located in one of the poorest regions of one of the poorest countries in the world. The campus has a capacity of 500 children, and includes facilities for housing, feeding, and educating the children. In a land of mud huts and straw thatched roofs, the Kamashi Orphanage stands out — built with concrete walls and floors, tiled roofs, electrical wiring, and plumbing.

The Austin College students worked on clothing and shoe inventory and distribution, built a dam, cleaned and organized a library, and worked with the principal on needs of the school. Students also interacted with the boys when they were not in school and helped them build a bamboo fence around their new gardens.

“We learned a lot about the culture of Africa and the pace of life there,” said Jones. “We also learned a lot about non-profit organizations and the difficulties in overseas communication due to the many cultural differences. There is no greater gift than to serve, and I could not pass up this opportunity to serve those in need and give love to those so deserving.”

Daniel Jackson ’10 of Allen, Texas, also chose a combined cultural experience/service opportunity. He worked with the Rafiki Program in Nairobi, Kenya, working with a Christian orphanage. He assisted with various activities of the village, including teaching, creating spreadsheets comparing the cost of purchasing food and the savings via the garden’s production. He visited several areas in Kenya, including one of the largest slums in Africa as well and middle and upper class areas, exploring the wealth distribution and the healthcare options throughout the country. “Because of my experience I really thi k in Wasn’t to go into international medicine or possibly work with the Center for Disease Control or the World Health Organization after medical school.

Back to the Top

On the Air

Ritika Chitkara ’09 of Frisco, Texas, spent January interning at CNN International in New Delhi, India. “I researched many stories for correspondents and went to other local news stations within India,” she said. “We worked on the Benazir Bhutto assassination, Tata motors release of the one-lakh rupee car, Reliance Energy Company IPO, the end of the Sri Lankan ceasefire agreement, and the Asian Stock Market crash. The staff at the Delhi Bureau encouraged me to find contacts for stories, research footage to air, and help with the process of editing the footage.

“I have always been interested in international affairs and how the media portrays different countries,” Chitkara said. “This was an amazing experience that allowed me to explore broadcast journalism as well as better understand the modernization of India.”

Back to the Top

On the Path to International Health Care

Daniel Jackson ’10 of Allen, Texas, chose a combined cultural experience/service opportunity. He worked with the Rafiki Program in Nairobi, Kenya, working with a Christian orphanage. He assisted with various activities of the village, including teaching, creating spreadsheets comparing the cost of purchasing food and the savings via the garden’s production. He visited several areas in Kenya, including one of the largest slums in Africa as well and middle and upper class neighborhoods, exploring the wealth distribution and the healthcare options throughout the country. “Because of my experience I really thi k in Wasn’t to go into international medicine or possibly work with the Center for Disease Control or the World Health Organization after medical school,” Jackson said.

Back to the Top

On the Campaign Trail

Robert Henderson ’10 of Sherman was one of 10 Austin College students who spent January in Iowa and South Carolina as volunteers with the John Edwards for President Campaign. Other students were Rami Batrice ’08 of Lubbock, Texas; Craig Hinson ’11 of McKinney, Texas; Dallas Key ’10 of Lubbock, Texas; Jeff Mai ’10 of Bells, Texas; Sarah Muths ’09 of Seabrook, Texas ; Sunna Quazi ’10 of Murphy, Texas; Omar Saenz ’08 of Mission, Texas; Brandon Stevenon-Matthews ’11 of North Richland Hills, Texas; and Bailey Woods ’11 of Flower Mound, Texas.

  “Our primary job in Iowa was canvassing for caucus goers and trying to influence them to caucus for John Edwards,” Henderson said. “We spent several days trudging door-to-door in the snow in an effort to turn out as many people as possible. On caucus night, we attended various caucuses and tried to influence people to join the John Edwards supporters in an attempt to pick up as many delegates as possible.”

Henderson said he learned a lot about the caucus system and gained a greater insight into the role of representative government in our country. “Moving forward, I feel the experience has taught me some of what I can expect should I ever get involved with another campaign.”

Back to the Top

On Capitol Hill

Taylor Adams ’08 of Rockwall, Texas, found himself among the political movers and shakers in Washington, D.C., in January, interning in the office of Congressman Ralph Hall. This was a return trip for Adams, who interned with Congressman Hall in summer 2006. “Almost two years and four political science classes later, I truly appreciated the tasks of Congress and the complexity in which our national government works,” said Adams, who said he was awed by the process in 2006.

“ Washington, D.C., is a great place to make contacts and witness the legislative process that runs our country,” Adams said. “Mr. Hall’s valuable time and advice really helped me understand the direction I need to go after college if I want to pursue a career in politics. This experience made me realize the value and importance of a quality college education.

Adams is a business and political science major who will work for Hall’s campaign this summer and fall, plans to attend law school the next fall, and, eventually, “venture into politics.”

Back to the Top

On the Riding Trail

Casey Check '09 of El Cajon, California, spent much of January on horseback in Hawaii at Dahana Ranch. A business administration major, Check is interested in busines agriculture, though she is unsure of a specific direction in which that interest might take her. She had visited Dahana Ranch while on vacation and she sought the opportunity to return and learn about running a ranch.

She experienced the long, often grueling days of a ranch hand. A typical day included picking up after the horses, cleaning out the stalls, feeding, preparing horses for daily rides, and helping on those rides. “Tourists come all year long to go on ‘Ranch Rides’ and cattle drives in Waimea’s beautiful green rolling hills,” Check said. “A typical group is six to 10 people and the riders are allowed freedom across the open range to experience for themselves a day in the life of a Paniolo (Hawaiian cowboy). She also was able to learn about the buying and selling of horses and cattle on the ranch and to deal with the many personalities of the ranch’s clients.

Though Check had ridden horses and was prepared for her days to be physical, she knew little else about the ranch process in the beginning. “I was constantly required to step out of my comfort zone and being ready to adapt was a decision I made upon my arrival,” Check said. “I cannot be more grateful for going into a situation where I did not know anything because it made me lose all pride and simply listen. “Sometimes in life the hard part is not figuring out the specifics, but having the patience and confidence to wait and see what the big picture is. From this experience I’ve learned that whatever I do and wherever I end up, I will be able to adapt and to have the confidence to ask questions and the character to do what I know is right.”

Back to the Top

Students Experience Professional Conferences

Students from many academic disciplines have visited professional conferences this year — history students sharing the role of Mexican Americans in Texas history, others presenting work on counterfeit goods and on the effects of language ability within the Latino-American labor force. Other conferences took students to Chicago and to Lubbock and San Marcos, Texas.

Biology

Mark Hamilton ’08 of Austin, Texas; Nida Iqbal ’09 of Carrollton, Texas; and Raehannah Jamshidi ’09 of Rockwall, Texas, attended the 36th Annual Autumn Immunology Conference in Chicago, Ill., November 16-19, 2007, with Lance Barton, assistant professor of biology, to present their research orally and in poster form. The students also attended a workshop on careers in immunology and met one-on-one with faculty from major research universities and various companies.  Hamilton is pursuing an honor’s thesis in biology in Barton’s lab. Iqbal and Jamshidi, who received Council on Undergraduate Research Biology Division Travel Awards, have been working on research with Barton for several semesters.

Chemistry

Eight students presented posters at the Southwest Regional Meeting of the American Chemical Society in Lubbock, Texas, in October 2007. Presenters were Cara Barnes ’09 of Bryan, Texas; Anna Engle ’10 of Houston, Texas; Paul Frederick ’10 of Longview, Texas; Emily Kuo ’10 of Lucas, Texas; Andrew Kurrialacherry ’10 of Coppell, Texas; Holly Messamore ’09 of Wichita, Kansas; Zach Seifert ’08 of Rochester, Minnesota; and Kelly Wiggins ’08 of College Station, Texas. Wiggins’ poster was selected for the SciMix session with both graduate and undergraduate students. Barnes won an outstanding poster award in the undergraduate section. All had participated in the Austin College Chemistry Department Welch Summer Research Program in 2006 or 2007.

Art

Karena Rogers ’08 of Austin, Texas; Elizabeth Cox ’08 of Sherman, Texas; and Ellen Weaver ’06 of Dallas traveled with Mark Monroe, associate professor of art, to the Texas Sculpture Symposium at Texas State University in November 2007. The students attended lectures and participated in a casting workshop. Rogers, Cox, and Matthew Whitenack ’08 of Dallas had work accepted for the juried undergraduate and graduate exhibition at the symposium. “The juried student show included only 18 total works from schools throughout Texas,” Monroe said, noting that three Austin College selections was particularly impressive. “The opportunity for our students to interact with sculptors from throughout the state and to meet young sculpture students from some of the most vital programs was a truly unique experience,” Monroe said. “I am confident that the creative energy and inspiration generated by this trip will have a significant impact on these advanced students.”

Back to the Top

March 2008

Feedback?

Comic Book Words of Wisdom

The iconic words spoken to Peter Parker and his heroic alter ego Spiderman — “with great power comes great responsibility” — have relevance far beyond the pages of the comic book or movie screen. Jesse Travis ’08, Austin College religion and psychology major of Plainview, Texas, said those words sum up the importance of serving others in her own life. “I don’t think of myself as holding power in the traditional sense, but I think there is a power given to everyone who doesn’t have to worry about basic living necessities,” Jesse said. “If I have an able body and can make time, have skills, or can donate money, it seems irresponsible to let these resources go to waste.”

It is hard for Jesse to pinpoint when she developed a passion for service, but it was likely long before she ever read a Spiderman comic. Service is “just something I’ve always done,” she said. Maybe such an outlook can be traced to her upbringing in the Presbyterian Church, where her father was a minister, but regardless of when it began, it followed her to college.

Jesse’s service-oriented work since becoming a member of the Austin College community is too extensive to list in full. She has made Halloween decorations for a nursing home and slept outside on cardboard boxes to raise awareness and money for the Grayson County Homeless Shelter through Austin College’s Service Station, which she served as co-chair last year.

Through her sorority, Omega Zeta, Jesse helped raise money for Hannah’s Horseshoes of Hope, an equine-assisted therapy program in Bonham, Texas, for children and adults with physical, mental, emotional, and learning disabilities, and sent Christmas cards to amputee patients. Jesse also serves as a Sallie Majors Intern for Austin College’s Religious Life program and helps organize events of the ACtivators, the College’s mobile Presbyterian youth ministry team.

In 2006, Jesse received a Lilly Foundation grant to travel to El Salvador during JanTerm. She raised money through her home church for chairs and bedding for the Center of Art for Peace there. She spent her spring break that year in New Orleans to help gut houses devastated by Hurricane Katrina. In fall 2006, Jesse studied abroad in Madagascar and worked on an independent study project about citizens suffering from learning disabilities.

“The process of service tends to be an exchange where the roles between helper and recipient are constantly in flux,” she said. “Those who are supposedly the givers are often the recipients of amazing experiences where they gain just as much as those who are supposedly unable to give.”

At Austin College, Jesse is involved in the College’s Best Buddies program that pairs college students with local high school students who have learning disabilities. Jesse may never possess web-slinging or spider-sense superpowers, but she plans to attend graduate school in occupational therapy or special education to further pursue her “power” to serve others.

Printer friendly version  |  pdf version  | Email to a friend